Orcas Weekly Update - Week 2

Kelly Smith

In this newsletter:

  • UPDATE FROM COACH TEAGAN
  • WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK
  • SWIM MEET PROCEDURES
  • URGENT TO-DO: TEAM WEBSITE REGISTRATION
  • URGENT TO-DO: WHATSAPP
  • MEET DECLARATION AND JOBS SIGNUP
  • REGISTRATION CLOSES THIS WEDNESDAY
  • COMING UP NEXT WEEK
  • TEAM SWIMSUITS AND SPIRIT WEAR
  • BOARD/CHAIR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
  • SPONSORSHIP & FUNDRAISING
  • JOB OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR TEENS
  • FUN FRIDAY DONUT SIGNUP IS LIVE!
  • BUDDY BANNER SIGNUP IS LIVE!
  • NEW FAMILY FAQs
  • SOCIAL LINKS 

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UPDATE FROM COACH TEAGAN

 

Hello Orca Families! 

 

This week is our first full week of practice. We will be practicing all strokes as well as starts and turns in preparation for our Time Trial meet on Thursday. This meet is designed to establish baseline times for all our swimmers while providing an opportunity to practice the structure and flow of a standard competition. Unlike our typical dual meets, Thursday’s event will be exclusive to our team and swimmers will complete their full lineup. In a standard meet, a full lineup consists of up to three individual events and up to two relay events. For swimmers aged six and under, their events will always include the 25-yard backstroke and 25-yard freestyle. 

 

I understand that summer can be busy with other sports practices and commitments. If you anticipate arriving late or needing to leave early from a meet, please inform me at least three days in advance so I can plan accordingly. On meet days, if unforeseen circumstances cause you to run late, please send me a message or notify another parent at the meet so they can inform me that you are on your way. If I do not receive any communication by 4:45 PM for weekday meets or 7:45 AM on Saturdays, I’ll assume you are not attending and will need to scratch your swimmer(s) from the meet. 

 

We had a great first week in and out of the pool! I am looking forward to an incredible season ahead!

 

Swimmingly, 

Coach Teagan

[email protected]

 

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WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK

In week two, we return to our regular practice schedule (8:30 AM to 9:30 AM for our swimmers aged 10 and under; 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM for swimmers aged 11 and up).

 

Our free swim team trial ends on Wednesday 6/4, so if you have friends or family still interested in seeing what swim team is all about, have them join us for practice Monday through Wednesday! Registration for the team closes on 6/4.

 

Spirit wear orders have been distributed, and team swimsuit orders have been delivered to us. Please see me at the gate during practice beginning tomorrow to pick up your order.

 

Team t-shirts are in, but we will distribute them on Thursday, 6/12 when we take our team pictures. We highly recommend that you write your child’s name in their shirt as these frequently get left behind at practices and meets. We will hold on to your team shirt and get them to you if you’re unavailable to be in the Team photo.

 

Thursday, June 5th – Time Trials Meet! In a nutshell, this is our “practice meet” where only our team is in attendance. We get times for all our swimmers, which helps us seed swimmers in future dual and invitational meets, and we get to make sure all of our equipment is working as intended.

 

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SWIM MEET PROCEDURES

 

Tuesday/Thursday Meets

  • Please arrive by 4:30 PM

  • Upon arrival, immediately check in with Coach Teagan. If you do not check in with Coach Teagan before 4:45 PM, your swimmer(s) will be scratched from the meet.

  • Workers must report to Ashley Cobb, Meet Director, before 5:00 PM to obtain your job badge for the meet.

  • Warmups begin at 5:00 PM

  • Timers meeting will occur at 5:10 PM

  • Meet begins at 5:30 PM.

 

Saturday Meets

  • Please arrive by 7:30 AM

  • Upon arrival, immediately check in with Coach Teagan. If you do not check in with Coach Teagan before 7:45 AM, your swimmer(s) will be scratched from the meet.

  • Workers must report to Ashley Cobb, Meet Director, before 8:00 AM to obtain your job badge for the meet.

  • Warmups begin at 8:00 AM

  • Timers meeting will occur at 8:10 AM

  • Meet begins at 8:30 AM.

 

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URGENT TO-DO – TEAM WEBSITE REGISTRATION

You’re going to hear us talk about “TeamUnify” and “Sports Engine” a lot, and both are the name for our team website.

 

To finalize your registration with the team, please go to our team website at https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/recnslrcoil/page/team-registration. This step is required to ensure your swimmers are on the team roster so we can enter them in swim meets throughout the summer. If you haven’t done so already, please do so by Wednesday, June 4th.

 

All meets are posted, and jobs for the first two meets are posted. Jobs are first come, first served. Ashley Cobb will be our new Meet Volunteer Coordinator this year, replacing Beth Bleser. Ashley is who you will look for at meets to check in for your job and get your worker lanyard.

 

As for the meet signups, a few notes:

  • If you know for sure that you will MISS a particular meet, go ahead and decline those meets.

  • If you know for sure that you will ATTEND a particular meet, please declare "yes" for those meets. Don't worry about signing up for any specific races. The head coach determines those events.

  • If you are UNSURE of your attendance at a particular meet, please declare yourself as a "yes" for those meets. Meet files have to be sent to the other team about a week in advance, and it's much easier to take a swimmer out of a meet than it is to add one to it.

 

Useful Apps to download to your mobile device (please note, these apps are a good tool, but not always accurate or working as intended):

  • Sports Engine Motion - This company purchased TeamUnify a few years ago, and we “veterans” use TeamUnify and Sports Engine interchangeably. This app will enable you to declare your swimmers for meets and sign up for jobs from your mobile device.

  • Meet Mobile – this app has both free and paid subscriptions, and all of our meet results will be posted to this app.

 

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URGENT TO-DO – WHATSAPP

WhatsApp will be used to communicate last-minute scheduling changes, such as weather-related practice changes or cancellations, or other “emergency” type communications.

 

This also gives you a direct line to the coaches and Board should you need a message to be received quickly (i.e. you’re running late to a meet and don’t want to get scratched).

 

To join, please click here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JiEoMzwJZDUGRh81LhUIKn

 

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MEET DECLARATION AND JOBS SIGNUP

All meets and jobs are posted on the team website under the schedule tab https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/recnslrcoil/page/events#/team-events/upcoming (you must be registered and logged in to see the complete schedule, declare your swimmers, and sign up for jobs.

 

If you have questions about how to do this, I am at all practices this week and next week, and bring my laptop with me so I can walk you through it.

 

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REGISTRATION CLOSES ON WEDNESDAY

It’s not too late to sign up for the Orcas Swim Team! Registration is still open, and closes on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.

 

Do you have friends curious about the swim team but aren’t sure what it’s all about? We will have a Free Swim Team Trial from May 27th through June 4th. Pool membership is NOT required during the free trial but is required in order to join the team.

 

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COMING UP NEXT WEEK

Sunday, June 8th – Welcome to our Circus Kickoff Social, 5-8 PM 

  • Signup Genius to bring a side dish to pass; the Board will be providing pizza. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E4CA8AB2BA3F85-57138752-orcas

  • Also at the social, we’ll be collecting the Activity Fee, which is $25 per family (this covers Buddy Banner supplies, activities during socials, team-building supplies). This can be paid via cash, check, or Zelle.

  • NEW! ORCAS CLOSET - Bring your old Orcas swimsuits and spirit wear that your kids have outgrown to pass down to our new teammates, if desired.

  • We will also hold a parent meeting at the Welcome to our Circus Kickoff social to go over all of these details.

 

Tuesday, June 10th – First Dual Meet at Naper Carriage Hill (400 Leamington Ct, Naperville). Please refer to the above swim meet procedures for arrival and check-in times.

 

Thursday, June 12th

  • Team Picture Day, NTC Pool, 10:00 AM. This is not a normal practice day, so please plan to arrive around 9:00 dressed in your team swimsuit. We will be handing out the team t-shirts to be worn for the team photo. Our photographer will be taking team, individual, and family/group photos.

  • First Home Dual Meet vs. Maplebrook II. Please refer to the above swim meet procedures for arrival and check-in times.

 

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TEAM SWIMSUITS AND SPIRIT WEAR

 

Team Swimsuits: Team suits have been delivered by Urban Tri Gear, and we’ll start distributing them tomorrow, Monday, June 2nd. If you ordered a suit, please see me by the front gate to pick it up.

 

If you missed ordering your team swimsuit through Urban Tri Gear’s Pre-season store, it’s not too late to get a suit! Please contact Urban Tri Gear at (630) 230-9386 and they can help you. You will need to visit their Westmont store, and they can stamp our team logo on a suit in-store.

 

Spirit Wear: Deb’s Embroidery has agreed to keep our spirit wear store open, however orders placed will now require direct shipping to your home, or pickup at her Woodridge home. Here’s a direct link to our store. We have a fun selection of hats, apparel, and a cozy wearable blanket. 

 

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BOARD/CHAIR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We still have some committee chair positions that need filling, specifically the Spirit/Social Chair, Photography Chair, and helpers with Meet Setup/Cleanup.

 

Please reach out if you have questions about any of these positions, such as time commitment, responsibilities, etc.

 

 https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E4CA8AB2BA3F85-54420238-2025.

 

To all our volunteers who’ve already signed up, THANK YOU!

 

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SPONSORSHIP & FUNDRAISING

This summer would not be possible without our generous sponsors! We encourage you to use these businesses to thank them for their support:

 

Premier

Matthew Smith Homes

Pure Health & Wellness

Maverick Chiropractic

 

Platinum

Beach for Dogs

Pica Pau Jiu Jitsu & Grappling

Fresh Thyme Market

Heritage Plumbing & Sewer

G & G Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics

Jenn Gawenda, Guild Mortgage

Mi Kozina

Radon Xpress

 

Gold

Rosenberg & Parker

Light On Anxiety Treatment Center

Culver’s

Lou Malnati’s

 

Silver

DeAnda Photography

Valley Honda

Kastle Electric, Inc.

Nicky’s

 

Bronze

ATB Automotive

 

 

Links to all our sponsors’ websites can be found here on our team website.

 

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JOB OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR TEENS

We are looking to update our teen worker lists for swim meets. We utilize teen workers when we have a job that’s vacant for a meet. We are also offering to help our Orca families cover their own jobs and will provide a worker contact to them if you would like to hire directly.  

 

Candidates must be 13 years or older, responsible, and able to work a variety of meet jobs (timer, concessions, bullpen, etc.). Pay for each meet is $40.00. If you or your teen are interested in being on our list, please send your child’s name and preferred contact number to Christine Guerin at [email protected].

 

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FUN FRIDAY DONUT SIGNUP IS LIVE!

An Orca Tradition is Fun Friday Donuts! We are asking families who are able to please sign up to donate donuts and juice boxes to the team for our weekly Fun Fridays. Practices typically end 10-15 minutes early so kids can grab a donut to munch on while their coaches announce the Swimmer of the Week.

 

Please sign up via this SignUp Genius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E4CA8AB2BA3F85-56775919-orcas

 

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BUDDY BANNER SIGNUP IS LIVE!

Another Orca Tradition is making Buddy Banners for our home swim meets. Coach Teagan will pair our older swimmers (our Big Orcas) with our younger swimmers (our Little Orcas) to help with team bonding and mentorship. Once registration closes on Wednesday this week, we’ll work on getting everyone paired up and will post the list to the bulletin board behind the blocks.

 

Big Buddies will arrive to practice about 30 minutes early (at 9:00 AM) to make their banners, and Little Buddies will stay after practice ends at 9:30 to make their banners.

 

Our Buddy Banner Coordinator this year is Soorya Thacker. She will be on-hand to help volunteers with assisting the kids in decorating their banners and distributing “Buddy Bags”. The kids typically put a few pieces of candy in their “Buddy Bag” to give to their buddy at the meet to help them fuel their races.

 

Please sign up via this SignUp Genius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E4CA8AB2BA3F85-56776289-2025

 

Please see the attached Swimmers of the Week, Achievements, & Buddy Program document to see all the ways we recognize our swimmers with their achievements throughout the summer and for more detailed information about our Big Orca, Little Orca Buddy Program. Please email Coach Teagan at [email protected] if you do NOT want your child to participate in the Buddy Program.

 

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NEW FAMILY FAQs

Here’s the slideshow we shared at our 4/12 meeting that includes a wealth of information for our new families. Additionally, here’s a link to the Naperville Swim Conference’s website, which has some great FAQs for new families: https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/recnpdsc/page/faqs.

 

Past emails are posted as newsletters to the Team website at: https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/recnslrcoil/page/home

 

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SOCIAL LINKS

For team updates, please check out the team website and the following social media channels:

 

To see all past newsletters, please refer to our team website at: https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/recnslrcoil/page/home

 

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Phew! Lots of info here. If you have any questions or need more info, please reply or see us at practice.

 

Thank you for your support in making this swim season unforgettable for our kids!

 

Go Orcas!
Kelly Smith
NTC Orcas co-VP